Friday, January 4, 2019Opposites and Stuff
A really weird thing happened this past weekend. She who refuses to have her photo taken most days was suddenly all TAKE MY PICTURE, MOM. NOOOOOW.
It started with Dippy. We stop to take a picture with Dippy nearly every time we pass by him, and by "stop to take a picture with him" I mean "I trick Mila into standing in a particular spot and then bribe her to let me take a photo." This time Mila was the orchestrator of the shenanigans. She DEMANDED a photo with Dippy.
Mila then went on to pose for dozens of photos, generally directing me on where *I* should stand and telling me what pose I was going to get. It reminded me of a time a Tiny Alexis did the exact same thing.
Welcome to the blog world where such stories can be conjured.
Alexis was four years old that day. The same age Mila is now. WHY ARE THEY SO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT? Alexis has always come across as older than she is (there's a reason she's called Grandma Alexis ...). Mila is the exact opposite. And yet, Alexis had more of a "baby" face and chubby cheeks while Mila is a stick figure and ... THEY ARE SO DIFFERENT.
Kids will break your brain, I swear.
A Little Yes Fun
One does not manage to collect dozens of fully decorated Christmas trees by strolling into a store on December 1st and paying full price. I mean, maybe somebody does it that way, but not this somebody. I sloooooooowly collect ornaments and trees here and there through a dillegent process I call, "MERRY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ME!"
After Christmas clearance is where it's at, y'all.
I spend the week between Christmas and New Years stalking Target and Walmart. They are my favorite places to gain things at a low price. Target is great for lights and ornaments while Walmart wins the tree war. (Walmart REALLY wins the tree war. Their regular prices are lower than Target when they have 50% off.) (I know I'm supposed to hate Walmart, and I do, mostly. There are exceptions. Christmas trees and frozen pancakes, currently.)
So I've been stalking the usual things and I'm pleased to report, I have been VERY successful this year. For example, I found 10 boxes of metallic ornaments that will be PERFECT for the Harry Potter tree at Target this year at ... 90% off. I'm sorry if you missed the 90% fun at Target because it really is fun.
Just ask Mila and Alexis.
Normally when we're at Target, I randomly shout "NO!" about every 14 seconds because there's a really good chance one of them is asking me to buy something, and it doesn't matter what it is, the answer is no. No. No. Let me think about ... no. NO. It works.
But when we're standing in the midst of aisle after aisle of 90% off Christmas stuff, I change my tune. Do you know how fun it is to say "Yes" to your kids once in a while? SO FUN. And I said "yes" A LOT. Mila kept showing up with ornaments. Yes, yes, yes! The kid managed to find a letter "M," a Hatchimal, a Shopkin, and a Wonder Woman ornament and she was so pleased with herself. The grand total for all four was less than $2.00, so I was also pleased with her little self. Alexis chose to focus on candy, which makes total sense since she's the kid who doesn't like sweets. Whatever! Go ahead and get that giant pile of candy that will cost a whopping $3!
I'm sure Mila will enjoy it when she steals it all.
They found gingerbread house kits for next year, flannel pajamas for now, ornaments for the tree I decorate at work, and dozens of boxes of lights. All at 90% off. It was like Supermarket Sweep, but without the frozen turkeys.
And I was able to say "Yes" without hesitation.
So fun. For all of us.
(For those of you who are also Christmas clearance hunters, the first week of January is Walmart, Pier One, At Home aka Garden Ridge, and Big Lots. They discount more slowly than Target, so they should be passing up 50% off right about now.)
